In early September 2023, the Olivier Cornet Gallery was delighted to hear from librarian Aedín Clements that The Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana, USA) had decided to acquire four of Eoin Mac Lochlainn's Cogadh na gCarad / the War between Friends charcoal and wash drawings on watercolour paper. These works were exhibited here at our Dublin gallery in March 2023, as part of the artist's solo show to commemorate all those who were killed during the Irish Civil War.

In November of the same year, Aedín Clements, recently-retired Irish Studies Librarian at Notre Dame's Hesburgh Libraries, shared the following statement with us:

"The Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame continues to build an interdisciplinary Irish studies collection. In recent years, the library has increased its focus on Irish art, working collaboratively with the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art (formerly the Snite Museum) and with the Keough-Naughton Institute of Irish Studies.

Our acquisition of four drawings from Eoin Mac Lochlainn’s recent series commemorating those who died in the Civil War, is an important addition to the collection. They add to the historic documentation of the era and of its commemorations, and also they are a powerful visual reminder of the human impact of war. We anticipate that they will be juxtaposed with historical documents as well as with other artistic and literary works for many class and visitor viewings in the coming years."

This sale was one of this year's highlights for our gallery in the area of institutional acquisitions. It is also worth mentioning that another institution, namely The Office of Public Works, also acquired a copy of the video featuring a whole series of these drawings. For more information about the video (a limited edition of 3) and the charcoal drawings, please visit Cogadh na gCarad / the War between Friends.

Image: Eoin Mac Lochlainn, Cogadh na gCarad no. 15, 16, 22 and 24, charcoal and wash on watercolour paper, 35x27cm each.